Bob Minton has talked of the Church of Scientology as an
organization which tries to stop criticism of itself by taking action to
discredit its critics. Leading Scientologists, in response, have
portrayed Minton and his activities in a decidedly unfavorable light.
The result has been a sort of "Cold War" in which freedom of speech and
freedom of religion are matched against each other in the media, in the
courts and on the street.

After a decades long battle with the Internal Revenue Service,
Scientology leader David Miscavige declared on October 8, 1993, "The war
is over!" More precisely, Scientology's war with the Internal Revenue
Service to gain tax exemption for religious purposes was over. Its wars
with Germany and the internet had only just begun.

Starting in 1994, the "International Association of Scientologists"
publicly identified itself in full page advertisements in three major
U.S. newspapers as the power behind a massive campaign to presumably
warn the American public of a danger of a new Holocaust in Germany.
Large black and white photographs in the ads portrayed scenes from
Nazi Germany while accompanying texts put Scientologists in Germany
today on a level equivalent to the Jews in Nazi Germany sixty years
prior.

In a seemingly unrelated action, Scientology's newly tax-exempt
organizations instituted legal proceedings in which raids were
conducted upon the homes of critics of Scientology in the United
States. Federal marshalls stood by while Scientology representatives
ransacked computer storage media of people whom Scientology believed
had posted its copyrighted secrets to the internet.

One of the results of these 1995 raids was that retired investment
banker Robert S. Minton sympathized with people who would not
otherwise have been in a financial position favorable to defending
themselves from prosecution. Furthermore, the combined outcomes of his
assistance to those in legal need and of Scientology's previous public
relations attacks on Germany has now had unexpected consequences.
Bob Minton is to be distinguished in Leipzig, Germany on June 3, 2000
for his work in promoting the human rights of victims of Scientology's
aggressive tactics. Members of the newly formed Alternative Charlemagne
Award committee come not only from Germany, but also from Ireland,
Great Britain, France, Russia, Denmark, Canada and the USA to honor
Minton's conduct. People publicly supporting the award reside in
countries even more diverse than those of the committee members and
include those with family still in Scientology. For more information
on the award, see http://www.alt-charlemagne-award.de.

Presentation of the Alternative Charlemagne Award to Robert S.
Minton will occur ten days after a jury sided with the Scientology
opponent when he said assault charges filed against him by organization
members were spurred not by misconduct on his part as he picketed
Scientology's Florida headquarters last November, but by his accusers'
own organizational policies towards its critics. In related news, Swiss
Scientology opponent Odette Jaccard has been nominated for the "Prix
Courage."